Malta - British Expat Forum

We may be looking forward to summer now, but I'm told it can get pretty cold in Malta in the winter. However, no one I know seems to have central heating. Has anyone got central heating or do you all rely on those gas canisters? Can anyone give me an idea what it costs to keep warm through the winter? I see that Caz has mentioned a figure for gas expenditure, but I'm not sure what use that covers or which 6 months of the she is referring to.

PJ

It not so much that it gets cold (the coldest months are Dec-April, with av nighttime temps of 10-12C), but that Maltese houses are built to keep cool in the summer not warm in the winter. This is less so with many apartments - flip side is that old houses require less aircon (if any) in the summer unlike many apartments

what I've seen in houses, people use one or more of

electric - airconditioner/heaters or floor standing heaters
kerosine - big tank on the roof, one large burner
wood - one large burner
gas - bottled

I'd say most use gas as the primary - its the cheapest (unless you have a cheap wood supply). Gas bottles are subsidised, having not really gone up in price over 6 years, whereas electricity is up 50% plus, kerosine up 4X (kerosine used to be very cheap, but bus drivers were using it instead of diesel so was repriced by govt). Occasionally there is a shortage of gas bottles (plus they are only delivered once a week), so most have a backup of an electric heater or two

Can anyone give me an idea what it costs to keep warm through the winter? - we use gas, and probably get through 30 cylinders during the winter (so a cost of Euro 300), but we have a biggish house with very high ceilings - friends of ours living in an apartment block use 5 a year

Thanks for giving me a clue GM, I believe in maintaining a tropical atmosphere throughout the year so although I might not use 30 cylinders, I expect I will use rather more than 5. At least it gives me an idea. I've got a flat at present, which unfortunately catches the wind off the sea. Fine in august, not so funny in Jan.

PJ

Other ideas......

o spend more time outside, as it can be warmer out than in
o spend more time at the pub (use their gas) though you may still get through 300 bottles of beer/wine!
o American/open kitchen design means you can open the oven door after cooking and warm the living space
o and finally..... don't forget the ubiquitous electric blankets.

ah yes I forgot about electric blankets - possibly the best tip you will ever get on this forum !

Electric blankets and pub - both good tips. Maybe I will just take an electric blanket to the pub......

pj

geeee gas is not a cheap option any more. 17 euro per bottle. wow.

its not a big difference, but a 12kg cylinder is € 16.50 not 17 (or should be)


gas is still cheaper than electricity if you are using electric bar heater, but probably not much in it if you use a modern aircon unit